egg on your face

The embarrassment that results from a failure or faux pas. Typically used in the phrase "have egg on (one's) face." Oh man, the boss found out that messed up the budget report, and now I have egg on my face. Sally was left with egg on her face after forgetting the words to the song during her audition.

COMMON If you get egg on your face or egg all over your face, you do or say something that makes you seem stupid and feel embarrassed. There's no point in making predictions, because all too often you end up with egg on your face. A recent public relations disaster left the company with egg all over its face. Note: People in crowds sometimes throw eggs at someone such as a politician or performer, to show their anger or dislike for them.

To be embarrassed after being caught doing something wrong. Among the possible origins are being red in the face about being told you left a smear of yolk around your mouth after breakfast or the humiliation that performers suffer when unhappy audiences pelt them with raw eggs. Closer to the mark is a barnyard explanation: farm dogs that develop the taste for raw eggs and break into the henhouse for a treat have that hang-dog look when confronted by their angry owners.